1.19.2011

Oliverio: Beverly Hills' Happiest Happy Hour

HAPPY HOUR: Two words that get my attention almost anytime or anywhere, but mostly between the hours of 4 and 7 p.m. It's a delicious, discounted hybrid of restaurant food meeting bar prices, all served early enough for you to get home and watch Primetime TV (or TiVo'd cable). While I have a list nearly a mile -- or an 8 1/2" by 11" sheet of paper -- long detailing my favorite L.A. happy hours, I'm excited to focus on the addition of a killer new happy hour at Oliverio, a chic restaurant inside Beverly Hills' Avalon Hotel.

Drive too fast along Olympic Boulevard and you'll risk missing the 61-year-old hotel, built in 1949 and once-frequented by the likes of Lucille Ball, Marilyn Monroe, and used as a retro Miami set in the movie Dreamgirls. The interior of Oliverio has been completely remodeled yet does a wonderful job making guests feel as though they have been transported to a tucked away, 50's poolside lounge.

Poolside Dining at Night

Find your seat in a poolside cabana, or saddle up to the bar, and check out the amazing happy hour deal: Every M-F from 4 to 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sundays from 2 to 6 p.m., nine of Oliverio's most popular menu items are $3/each. Yes, THREE DOLLARS. Wine is $4/glass, and cocktails are $5 each. From personal experience, I can tell you the Mac & Cheese (homemade noodles and parmesano sauce), Fritto Misto (gigantic prawns, tender calamari and sage leaves), Oliverio burger (served with zucchini fries), and the Pizzetta Napoletana (burrata cheese, tomato and basil) are fantastic, if not dangerous when you literally live down the street. Even if you don't live down the street, you need to check this place out.